


Postoperative Care

by DuendeJunior



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Friendship, Gen, Mentions of surgery, Okaeri | yoihomezine, Pre-Canon, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23919190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuendeJunior/pseuds/DuendeJunior
Summary: “They never made me feel very wise, you know.""What?""My wisdom teeth."Phichit and his two best roommates ever, navigating the little problems that arise after an intensive session of dental care.
Relationships: Phichit Chulanont & Katsuki Yuuri
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	Postoperative Care

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: ppl who celebrate fictional character birthdays are annoying pass it on  
> me: fuck this post and HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHICHIT
> 
> this was originally written for the okaeri home zine back in. 2018. in my defense I lost the document but better late than never. lov u peach boy

When he was young and first learning English, Phichit was intrigued by the expression _wisdom teeth_. What did said teeth have that made them conveyors of wisdom? Or did only wise people have that kind of teeth?

“It’s because you only get them when you’re older,” his dad explained when he brought him this question. “And another thing that comes with age is wisdom.”

It didn’t occur to him to doubt his dad, so Phichit nodded, smiled and went back to organizing his skating bag.

Now he’s nineteen, the only representative of his country in the international skating circuit, and living abroad for the first time. And he has just gone through a surgery to remove the aforementioned teeth. His mouth is numb. It’s _weird_.

“They never made me feel very wise, you know,” he tells Yuuri, who’s helping him settle on the bed. Yuuri has put all of their cushions on Phichit’s bed, claiming no one who visits them will care about the bare seats. The overall effect on his bed makes Phichit think of the scene in _The King and the Skater II_ novelization where Arthur makes a makeshift throne for the king, which means he’s not about to question the tactic.

“What?” Yuuri says. He puts one last pillow under Phichit’s legs and nods. Phichit really wants to meet his parents and ask if that’s the effect of growing up on an inn.

“The wisdom teeth.” His words are jumbled, since the stitches don’t let him open his mouth much, but Yuuri seems to understand.

“Same here.” Yuuri sits on the one small space of the bed which isn’t covered in cushions and pillows. “In Japanese they’re the teeth your parents don’t know about, because they usually grow when you’re older and has moved out, but mine came when I was still at home.” He shrugs. “Not all names match reality.”

Yuuri’s tone makes Phichit arch an eyebrow. It’s the one he uses when his sentences have hidden meanings.

“Anyway, I’m getting us dinner. What can you eat again?” Yuuri says before Phichit can pin him down with a cushion and understand what he was talking about. He’ll investigate further as soon as the stitches are gone.

“The list is on the desk,” he says instead. “Please pay attention to the ice cream part. My sister was tempting me with our mom’s mango ice cream on Facetime yesterday and I have a mighty need.” He kind of wants to let his head fall back for the extra touch of drama, but he can’t remember whether or not Dr. Dominguez put it on the list of forbidden movements.

The look Yuuri sends him reminds Phichit of all the times they got drunk on cheap stuff and Phichit dared him to do something.

“... I’ll see what I can do,” he says.

Phichit laughs as best as he can with a numb face.

“Yuuri! Were you going to cross the ocean to bring me my mom’s ice cream?”

“I’m not _that_ extra,” Yuuri protests.

Phichit's eyebrow is as raised as it can be.

Yuuri ignores him. “But I know nothing beats your mom’s food when you’re sick. Or going through post-surgery.”

Phichit makes a gesture of dismissal. “If you don’t tell Celestino I went off-diet you’ll already be the best friend in the history of friends.”

Yuuri mumbles something about Celestino giving him a free pass on the diet because of the surgery, but he doesn’t protest any further. “Here’s your phone. What did your doctor give you? You never forget about your phone.”

Phichit grabs it. “I do not want Instagram to seduce me into taking a picture right now, but thanks anyway.”

“You look like Arthur VI with your cheeks all puffed up like that.”

“Get out of here,” Phichit says, pretending he’s going to throw a pillow on Yuuri’s direction. Yuuri runs to the door, laughing, and then Phichit is the one who starts laughing again when Yuuri has to make a U-turn because he was about to forget his wallet.

Phone in hand, Phichit snuggles further into the pillows, opens his Instagram, scrolls down a bit out of habit (and likes every single one of the seventeen pictures of dogs Leo has posted on the last half hour) and opens his DMs to find his sister.

**phichit+chu**

ill have u know im still craving ice cream

**ploy+chu**

you & me both, peach

**phichit+chu**

werent u temptin me with it just yesterday????????????

**ploy+chu**

yes and I’ll have you know I don’t regret it ٩( ᐛ )و

but mom slapped my hand when I opened the fridge

and said to leave the rest to dad

**phichit+chu**

oh nooooooooooo

i say as i laugh @ u

**ploy+chu**

I Am Distraught

mine own brother

**phichit+chu**

thats my power (˶◡‿◡)

**ploy+chu**

</3 </3 </3 </3 </3 </3 

but anyway

we’re probably flying there in a few months

mom will let you have all the ice cream you want

**phichit+chu**

but i need it today

my face is sore (´；д；`)

**ploy+chu**

awwwwww your surgery

I forgot

⊂(´• ω •`⊂)

**phichit+chu**

[gasps]

how dare u

**ploy+chu**

I remembered it now!!!!!! how was it?

**phichit+chu**

it was fine

i want 2 get anestewhatever again

but like 

jsut bc

the black out part was nice

the pain after not so muhc

**ploy+chu**

tf you talking about

ah, general anesthesia

yeah, waking up afterwards is awful

but you’ll survive <3

**phichit+chu**

ty ploy <3 <3

**ploy+chu**

you gotta survive

you know mom is already planning to fill an entire suitcase w/mangoes

she doesn’t trust the US to have the good stuff

**phichit+chu**

i changed my mind

i need 2 b @ the airport when that happens

**ploy+chu**

of course

someone will have to bail all of us for smuggling mangoes into America™

but if you put it on instagram I’ll ask dad to disown you

THAT’S NOT HOW I WANT TO BECOME INTERNET FAMOUS

**phichit+chu**

u want 2 become internet famous????? since when??????/

**ploy+chu**

not relevant

anyway

you’re getting your ice cream one way or the other

**phichit+chu**

（*´▽｀*）

I miss u ppl </3

**ploy+chu**

(´；д；`)

… oh no

the group project chat is coming back to life

gotta go

**phichit+chu**

gl ploy!!!!

pls don’t murder anyone

**ploy+chu**

no, this time I’m working with competent people

ok, if you need me just @

here or on line

I’ll answer later

**phichit+chu**

(*^▽^*)ノ

He clicks on Ploy’s profile pic and smiles at her latest update - a picture of her Pokemon figures, meticulously arranged on their glass cabinet, with the caption “ _all of my children! (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ*_ ”. His heart squeezes a little.

To avoid dwelling on it and on the pain that’s slowly creeping up his jaw, he opens YouTube and looks for the playlist of Cao Bin’s performances with commentary he’d been watching a few days ago.

He’s thirty minutes into it when he notices the apartment is still too quiet for a place where two people live.

Phichit looks up from the screen to the tiny strip of living room he can see from the open door. Maybe Yuuri is back, but not making much noise - his friend can be silent as a ghost sometimes.

There’s nothing out there, however.

He opens LINE, scrolls until he finds the happy little poodle Yuuri uses as his display pic and presses the _call_ button. His diction is going to be even worse now that the anesthesia is leaving his system, but maybe if he makes enough incoherent noises Yuuri will think of coming back home.

Yuuri doesn’t answer. Neither this call, nor the four subsequent ones.

He’s about to try once again and leave a voicemail composed entirely of grunts when he hears the door opening. Phichit’s never turned his head around so fast (and he’s never regretted it more).

He watches as Yuuri leaves the bags over their counter and runs back to, presumably, lock their door.

“Sorry I’m late!” Yuuri sort-of-shouts.

“Hmm!” Phichit sort-of-answers. The inside of his mouth aches something fierce. He sinks further into the pillows. There’s a sound of steps coming closer and closer.

“Sorry,” Yuuri repeats as he enters the room, and that’s when Phichit notices he’s holding something. “I had to walk a lot to find this one.”

As Yuuri comes closer and hands the thing to him, Phichit sees it’s a tub of ice cream.

“... You didn’t need to!” He mumbles. Such a simple gesture, and here Phichit is, ready to start crying.

“Yes I did,” Yuuri retorts.

“You absolute madman. Come here.” He gestures wildly until Yuuri bends enough to give him a (very, _very_ careful) hug.

He also presses the cold tub against Yuuri’s cheek in retaliation and relishes on his friend’s betrayed shriek.

“That was for not answering your phone.”

“It was on the bag! Under the boxes of instant mashed potatoes!”

“Not an excuse. Imagine if I was dying here, all alone, and you only found out when you came back!”

Yuuri fixes him with an unamused look, turns around and goes back to the kitchen to prepare their actual food. Phichit can hear him mumbling “ _and you say I’m extra_ ” as he leaves.

Phichit fumbles with the drawer handle on his small nightstand until it opens a little and he can grab some tissues to put the ice cream over. He sets the tub on the nightstand and lightly traces the little mango right under the label with his finger.

It does make the weight on his chest a bit easier to bear.

He tears up again when Yuuri comes back with a bowl of mashed potatoes that smells _divine_ \- Yuuri remembered the sour cream!

“If only you weren’t lactose intolerant. I could share my food and my ice cream with you,” he says as Yuuri puts the tray over his lap.

“Nope, those are for _you_ ,” Yuuri says, leaving the room once more. He comes back with his own food, and Phichit already feels a pang of longing for actual solid food. He thought that would come much later.

“Remind me to make you _katsudon_ for your birthday, then,” he says as they start eating.

Yuuri chews pensively on a piece of tomato. “I don’t know whether or not I should prevent you from doing that.”

“Why do you think I can’t cook?”

“Remember Ciao Ciao and the mini-pizzas?”

“First of all,” Phichit raises one finger. “He never told us he was allergic to mushrooms. And second, those were _frozen_.”

Yuuri looks unconvinced. Phichit makes a sound that’s always been very efficient in getting any family members to, if not do his bidding, help him.

“I’ll… Think about it,” Yuuri concedes.

“You’re the best friend and roommate ever.”

Yuuri snorts. “You never had another.”

“Hey, I had a sister!” He puts another spoonful of mashed potato on his mouth and lets it slide down his throat. “... OK. You two are tied.”

Yuuri doesn’t answer, but his shoulders wiggle a bit in that way they do when he’s embarrassed but pleased. “Are you going to need help going to the bathroom?” he diverts.

Phichit kicks his leg fondly. “The surgery was on my mouth.”

“I almost had to carry you out of the dentist’s office.”

“I was loopy.” Phichit stops, and thinks a bit about the night that stretches before him. “But yeah… Moving is kind of a nightmare right now.”

They finish eating in silence. Then, his forgotten phone starts vibrating somewhere in the middle of the bed. After a moment of panic, Yuuri is the one to find it.

“I’m going to owe you my life by the time I’m up and running again,” Phichit tells Yuuri as Yuuri hands him the phone. He looks at the screen -- a message from his sister.

**Ploy ( ` ∇ ´ )**

don’t stay up late. ur convalescing

Yuuri smiles a little at him. “Best friend and roommate ever, right? Gotta earn my post.” He gets up and, putting his bowl beside Phichit’s one, picks up the tray to put everything on the sink.

With a smile of his own, Phichit unlocks the screen and types his answer.

**Me**

i promise i wont. love u ♡


End file.
